Title: Receive prescription or medication orders.
Course: Pharmacy Technician II (14152-II) > Section: Assisting the Pharmacist in Serving Patients

Receiving orders could be from a patient/patient's representative, prescriber, or other healthcare professional and should include the following steps:

- Accept new written or electronic prescription or medication order (e.g., by fax or computer).
- Accept refill request.
- Accept refill request electronically (e.g., by telephone, fax, or computer).
- Contact prescriber/originator for clarification about prescription or medication order refill, as specified by regulation and/or policy.
- Perform days' supply calculation and any metric conversions related to dosage.

See Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) 4.2, 4.3 (https://www.ptcb.org/lib24watch/files/pdf/169).

See American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) 3.1, 3.2 (https://www.ashp.org/-/media/assets/professional-development/technician-program-accreditation/docs/ashp-acpe-pharmacy-technician-accreditation-standard-2018.ashx?la=en&hash=36EAA6511105A6C6BFEA4F30E193892F19E2C385).

Process/Skill Questions:

- Why is it important to match the patient to the drug indication?
- Why should the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) number be validated?
- Why is it important to know both generic and brand names?
- What skills are useful when receiving prescriptions/medical orders?
- What are the regulations/procedures for technicians when contacting prescribers/organizations to clarify prescriptions or medication order refills?

Code of Virginia Statutes Related to Pharmacy Technicians

Va. Code §54.1-3408.03 — Dispensing of therapeutically equivalent drug products

Virginia Administrative Code Regulations Governing the Practice of Pharmacy

18VAC110-20-275 — Delivery of dispensed prescriptions

18VAC110-20-280 — Transmission of a prescription order by facsimile machine

18VAC110-20-285 — Electronic transmission of prescriptions from prescriber to pharmacy